Hair curler



June 3, 1952 N, SCHEPIS 2,598,837

HAIR CURLER Filed Feb. 9, 1951 Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE vHAIR CURLER Nunzato Schepis, Watertown, Mass. Application February 9, 1951, serial No. 210,117 (Cl. 132-362) 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to hair-curling and waving, and more particularly to a novel and improved unit for effecting the same which may readily be employed by persons desirous of imparting a speedy and semi-permanent wave to their own hair without the assistance of beauticians or other operatives.

My device is primarily concerned with a relatively simple and inexpensive form of hair-curler which is composed of complemental component parts suitably arranged and assembled to perform the several functions of hair-gripping, hair-rolling, and hair-waving.

My curler is especially characterized by the inclusion among its several components of a suiiicient amount of exothermic material capable of reacting with an appropriate liquid reagent to generate heat which may be directed to hair exteriorly wound about the curler, said exothermic layer being properly retained against leakage or displacement between the hair-gripping means and the outer surface on which the hair is to be rolled.

It is well known that the standard hair-waving operation, whether performed in the house or at the beauty shop, is a long, tiring, and timeconsuming one which requires the assistance of skilled or trained operators, and is costly to have done.

Moreover, it is not always essential to have a complete hair-dressing operation performed, as there are many occasions that arise when only a few strands or ends of hair require recurling, particularly when traveling or vacationing.

It is to this end, therefore, and to obviate the above difficulties that I have devised my simplified speedy curlers which may be safely used by any person, regardless of how unskilled, on their own hair to produce any desired style of curling which will be of a semi-permanent nature and which may be effected in a very few minutes. Y

In carrying out my invention, I nd that a small exothermic package may be readily incorporated with a pliable base in character and function resembling the standard type of haircurler now used without heat, and that the unit thus formed affords a simple, handy, inexpensive, and easily manipulated means of imparting a temporary wave to the hair which may be combed out in as short a period of time as five minutes, and which will remain in curls for at least a few days.

Thus, in effect, I have developed a form of curler which is intended to serve the needed purpose of providing a hair-waving means intermediate in scope between the unheatedr curler method and the complicated machine type of permanent waving.

Further objects, features, and details of construction will be hereinafter pointed out in the accompanying description and more fully defined in the appended claim.

Referring now to the drawings wherein I show a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the curling unit shown gripping a body of hair wound thereabout after being fitted thru my protecting element;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the protector;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the curler with the outside wrapper shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view'of a sheet of paper adapted to be Wrapped about the curler as an outside covering.

In the drawings, I have arranged my curling unit as comprising a strip of readily pliable material, such as a length of wire I0 having any suitable covering thereabout such as straw, leather, cloth, or the like Il, which can be conveniently bent around a strand of hair to be curled such as 20, to retain the same in gripped association without the possibility of any damage thereto. f

Positioned centrally of said covered wire and wrapped tightly thereabout is a small heatgenerating package or pad consisting of a backer of insulating material such as tin or aluminum foil l2, secured by a staple i6 enclosing a sprinkling of exothermic powder I4. As such exothermic mix [4 is inclined to be messy in case it leaks out from beneath the foil backer l2 both before and after it has been subjected to water or some other liquid and the chemical reaction has resulted, I prefer to provide an outer covering in the form of a thin paper wrapper I5 which is of appropriate size to entirely cover the heat-generating package and which may easily be wrapped thereabout and secured by any suitable means.

When it is desired to curl very short hair requiring the curlers to be positioned relatively close to the scalp, I have found it to be advisable to use a handy protector I1 cut from a thin piece of cardboard, asbestos, or the like and formed with a narrow central slot I 8 extending throughout a substantial length thereof and widened at of hair 20 therein.

Such protector I1, as shown in Fig. l, is designed to be positioned between the curler and the scalp to protect the latter from any possible burns caused by excessive heat generated by the exothermic material during the chemical reaction resultingV from the application of water thereto.

As the strands of hair 20 to be curled are extended, the protector I1 is readily vslid into place against the scalp and retained thereagainst by therfriction of the hair 20 thru the slot I8, until such hair is Wound about the curler and the combination tightened against the protector I1.

In utilizing my curlers without the protectors I 1 when dressing long hair or the ends thereof, I 1

wind the hair 20'around the nished curler to the length desired for curling, and thereupon bend over the ends of the wire I Il with its covering II against the hair 20 to hold the same and-be held therewith in gripping relation.V

When it is desired to effect the heat-.generating action, either the wetting of the hair to be curled V or the outer Wrapper is sucient. As soon as the moisture comes in contact With the exothermic powder, the chemical reaction is initiated and the l heat thus generated acts to set the hair in the desired form of curl. In order to expedite the use of` my curler, I prefer to supply a sufficient amount of the exothermic powder which, when combined with the moisture from the Wrapper, will provide the desired amount of heat and then cool Within a space of five minutes.

I claim:

A hair curler of the kind described, comprising in wrapped association a pliable base member with insulating material covering the same, exothermic Ymaterial enclosed in bendable foil clamped about said covered base member intere mediate the ends thereof, and an exterior Wrapper enveloping the foiled exothermic material, whereby the exothermic material is prevented from interminglin'g With the hair of the user subsequent to the heat-curling treatment. Y

Y NUNZIATO sC-HEPIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS 

